English

Noun

otheruses Subversion
Subversion refers to an attempt to overthrow structures of authority, including the
state. It is an
overturning or uprooting. The word is present in all languages of
Latin origin,
originally applying to such diverse events as the military defeat
of a city.

As early as the 14th
century, it was being used in the English
language with reference to laws, and in the 15th century
came to be used with respect to the realm. The term has taken over
from ‘sedition’ as the
name for illicit rebellion, though the
connotations of the two words are rather different, sedition
suggesting overt attacks on institutions, subversion something much
more surreptitious, such as eroding the basis of belief in
the status
quo or setting people against each other.

Subversive activity is the lending of aid,
comfort, and moral support to individuals, groups, or organizations
that advocate the overthrow of incumbent governments by force and
violence. All willful acts that are intended to be detrimental to
the best interests of the government and that do not fall into the
categories of treason,
sedition, sabotage, or
espionage are placed
in the category of subversive activity.

Modern uses

At the turn of the millennium, anger at the
invasion of public space by advertisers and corporate interests
prompted a social movement to subvert corporate advertising,
especially the ubiquitous corporate logos that inundate public
space. "Subvertising"
involves subtly changing posters and advertisements to alter the
intended meaning of corporate slogans and logos, usually in an
attempt to highlight the company's unethical practices. In this
context, the authority figure subverted has ceased to be the state and
has become the all-powerful corporation.